Connection to the Theory of the Surveillance Society (Foucault) - Voluntary Obedience and the Panopticon (November 2025)

Connection to the Theory of the Surveillance Society (Foucault) - Voluntary Obedience and the Panopticon (November 2025)
The "Panopticon" presented by Foucault in "The Birth of the Prison" (1975) is a concept that analyzes the structure of modern society in which individuals spontaneously internalize discipline through invisible surveillance. This perspective also applies to digital labor in the 21st century, where PC logs and screen monitoring have been introduced along with the spread of telecommuting, and workers have come to reinforce self-discipline through the "possibility of being watched" without actual surveillance. Connecting this to Marx's theory of labor alienation, we can see that the structure of alienation once carried by machines has been replaced today by algorithms and surveillance interfaces, and workers' autonomy and creativity are more deeply constrained. Furthermore, the prediction and guidance of behavior by platform companies has evolved into "nudge-type governance," and surveillance has transcended space and permeated everyday life. To understand these contemporary stru
ctures, the theoretical intersection of Foucault and Marx is essential, and it serves as an ideological tool for rediscovering a subjectivity and dignity of life that has become less visible.